Software and app developers can now use the technology that powers Amazon's Alexa assistant to add voice control to their creations. Amazon has opened up the service called "Lex" in what Reuters describes as a move to become the top player in voice-controlled computing. According to Werner Vogels, the e-commerce titan's CTO, Lex could lead to assistants and chatbots that sound friendlier and more human than their predecessors. That means Amazon can make it better and better by continuously feeding it data from people's interactions with Alexa. While the company's Echo sales will likely never match Apple's iPhone sales, Vogels said people use Alexa for various tasks around the house, but they tend to interact with their phones' voice assistants only when they're inside their vehicles.

Researchers and engineers from BMW are working at IBM's Munich headquarters for its Watson Internet of Things (IoT) technology. They'll help develop IBM's Watson cognitive system, which can learn from and pass back intelligence into the physical world, for integration into automotive products. BMW is providing the IBM site with four i8s to be used as prototypes for these new artificial intelligence systems. The systems will run on IBM's Bluemix cloud platform, which IBM said will enable Watson technology to heighten a driver's connection with their car. The technology uses machine learning to enable a car to improve its understanding of its driver, so it can cater its systems and cabin experience to suit their preferences.

BMW is working with American technology giant IBM to co-develop artificial intelligent technology that will one day be used in road cars. Researchers and engineers from BMW are working at IBM's Munich headquarters for its Watson Internet of Things (IoT) technology. They'll help develop IBM's Watson cognitive system for integration into automotive products, which will be able to learn from the physical world and pass intelligence back to it. BMW is providing the IBM site with four i8s to be used as prototypes for the new artificial intelligence systems. The systems will run on IBM's Bluemix cloud platform, which IBM says will enable Watson technology to heighten a driver's connection with their car.